


you're a knockout

by kwonbagel



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angel Yoon Jeonghan, Angst, Boxer Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, Choi Seungcheol protection squad unite!!!, Fluff, Getting Together, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Podcast, Polyamory, Student Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Swearing, University Student Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, University Student Chwe Hansol | Vernon, baby you are my angelllllllll, gonna be one damn good doctor, hes a stoner whats new, honestly this was me trying not to do crack or kill everyone and im sorry its cringey, jesus thats a long ass tag, mingyu is a professional cuddler and im not kidding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-01-13 08:29:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18465253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kwonbagel/pseuds/kwonbagel
Summary: Seungcheol hadn't planned to have a crush on both Joshua and Jeonghan, but the couple didn't seem to mind.Or, in which, Seungcheol really needs hug therapy.





	you're a knockout

Seungcheol didn't hold back as he struck the punching bag, letting his frustration flow through his arms. Boxing didn't seem to make the anger running through him simmer down but it, at least, gave him something to do. He was just mad. Angry all the time for no reason, and it exhausted him to the brink of death but still never left him (very un-fucking-fortunately). 

“You know, there are already too many Robins in the DC universe,” a voice interpreted Seungcheol, “but in my opinion, you'd be the best.”

Seungcheol didn't say anything but rather opted to absorb himself in jabbing the bag.

“You even got the silence down I see,” the much shorter man commented from the opposite side of the gym, having just finished his own boxing practice. 

“I thought you liked Marvel, Jihoon?” Seungcheol sighed, leaning onto the bag as he decided to amuse Jihoon.

“I can like both,” Jihoon rolled his eyes before tossing Seungcheol some keys that the older fumbled to catch. “It's time to close up but you can stay as long as you want. Just make sure to lock up.”

“Of course, not like that's a fucking hard thing to remember,” Seungcheol's eye started to twitch in an unwilling annoyance at being told what to do. Jihoon hadn't done anything wrong, but Seungcheol found him in the exact place he's been stuck in his whole life yet again. It was infuriating but he never knew what to do about it. He was afraid to tell his friends or anyone really, god forbid a therapist (read stranger). 

“You'd be surprised,” Jihoon gestures over to the antsy boy standing by the door, who responded with a crescent smile as he patiently waited for Jihoon to get ready. Seungcheol had no idea who it was but he knew one thing. He hated strangers. It always felt like they were judging everything about him, making false assumptions before they even gave him a chance. 

“Hi!” The hamster like boy enthusiastically bowed to him as if excited at the aspect of meeting new people. His eyes disappeared as he smiled brightly at him. “I’m Kwon Soonyoung, Jihoon's boyfriend, and I put the kwon in taekwondo!” Seungcheol was not so enthralled, slightly bowing with a mutter of his name before turning back to the bag and tuning out the rest of the world to focus on the one emotion he knew best.

“Soonyoung,” Jihoon took notice of Seungcheol's indifference, trying to reel Soonyoung's hyperness back in.

“Yes, hoonie?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

 

~

 

“Boy! Where's my goddamn bottle!” a heavy-set man roared as he stormed into the kitchen, the atmosphere around them turning cold.

“Right here,” a much younger Seungcheol squeaked out, already recoiling into himself as he handing his fuming father the three beer bottle in that hour.

“You're a fucking waste of my time, you piece of shit. You're lucky you're not already on the streets thanks to my generosity,” his father spat at him as he backhanded Seungcheol on the face. Seungcheol crumbled to the ground, the beer bottled breaking as it followed. Seungcheol grabbed onto his stinging cheek as he laid on the ground, curling into a ball as tears threatened to leak out.

He knew only one emotion, fear, before that moment. But that day, he gained another as he helplessly took the hits. Anger started to grow in the back of his mind, bottling before it eventually became too much.

 

~

 

While his anger never left, Seungcheol had his good days and bad days as we all do. (The worst to that day being the fourth of March, back in high school, and the encounter of the ragu sauce,  but he preferred to repress that memory for good. Fuck you too, Jeon Wonwoo.) The week had gone by oddly quiet, meaning the universe was waiting to terribly fuck with him again.

It was finally that day. It was ten times worse than what Seungcheol had anticipated. Seungcheol wasn't exactly a neat freak per se but he cleaned frequently as a way to occupy himself. And goddammit he did care about the appearance of the dorm after all his hard work put into it late at night when the rest of the world was asleep. So really it was his roommate's fault. Hansol thought it was a good idea to throw a party the night before and so Seungcheol was met with his living room thrashed with solo cups and suspicious looking brownies that he assumed were edibles. “Fucking stoners,” Seungcheol wrinkled his nose as he hissed. He really wished he had opted to buy his own apartment rather than stay at Pledis University's dorms because it was just a classic for the universe, as it does, to give him a stoner that refused to speak anything but English for a roommate.

“What the hell, Hansol?” Seungcheol gritted his teeth as Hansol walked inside from their tiny porch, looking worse for wear. Seungcheol’s grip on an empty solo cup caused his knuckles to turn white. “What in the literal fuckery were you thinking?” 

“I’m sorry dad,” Hansol cracked a smile as he poured milk into the white bowl and went to grab the family size box of frosted flakes. (Seungcheol stared in horror because Hansol was a goddamn monster that poured his milk before his cereal.)

“I need a guillotine. End me, I can’t deal with this shit,” Seungcheol muttered under his breath as he went to go get a pair of shoes, needing to get out.  _ People like that just shouldn’t be allowed to exist.  _

“Buy one on Amazon,” Hansol said with his mouth full of cereal. Some of it spewed onto the counter and Seungcheol wrinkled his nose in disgust. 

“I’m going out, don’t call me,” was all Seungcheol replied before the flimsy door slammed behind him. A second more in that cramped rat hole, Seungcheol would have lost his grip. He couldn’t do it again. He swore to himself a decade ago that he would never be the same. 

Deeply exhaling as he stepped onto the sidewalk, he pulled his headphones apart and pushed them into his ear. He shoved his phone back into his hoodie after he hit play. 

 

**“Hello everyone to another episode of Pledis University’s Cheonsa and I’m your host, your favorite angel, Jeonghan. Today we’ll be talking about sleep which is personally my favorite topic, but first, I’m excited to announce we have a very special guest today.”**

 

It was a podcast he had been listening to for a few weeks now and it never fails to calm him down. It was something about how the host seemed to care about what he did, like the happiness of his listeners actually mattered to him. Or how his voice seemed to soothe Seungcheol, his muscles untensing. 

 

**“My boyfriend finally decided to come on after a week of me practically begging- Hey! Don’t roll your eyes! You and I both know you really were dying to come on, you just didn’t want to admit it.”**

**“Not true,”** a different honey-like voice whined into the microphone. 

**“Whatever,”** Seungcheol quietly laughed to himself as he could practically see the eyeroll, even with never seeing the man.  **“Anyway, this is Joshua, everyone. We’ve been together for almost three months now. Introduce yourself, Shua.”**

**“Hi guys, I’m Joshua and I have the unfortunate luck of being Jeonghan’s boyfriend-”**

**“Bitch.”**

**“Language, Jeonghan! You have an audience!”**

**“Okay holy father.”**

**“....So I’m also studying to be a doctor, and I’m in my last year of residency. Um, and I enjoy going to church on Sundays. And yes, the gays can attend church.”**

**“The question is why would you want to?”**

**“Your opinion doesn’t matter, satan. And don’t say you aren’t.”**

**“Can’t argue the facts, I suppose. Even though I am an angel.”**

**“This is why I wonder why I didn’t listen to mom, and I told you I would go out with you.”**

**“Aw, you love me. And I’ll grow on mamma Hong eventually.”**

**‘Jeonghan, you almost killed my mother. You gave her a peanut brittle on her birthday. She’s allergic to nuts.”**

**“Okay, but nobody warned me.”**

**“I literally told you when we were at the store not to buy the peanuts, but you just shrugged me off and heel clicked down the snack aisle.”**

**“To be fair, I was having an off-day.”**

Seungcheol slightly smiled, laying down on the park bench across from the dorm complex, as he closed his eyes shut and calmly listened to the two bicker back and forth. For a moment, it almost felt like he was there with them. 

  
  
  


~

  
  


          The constant beatings from his father...no, that monster....never seemed to end, and Seungcheol was tired of feeling so helpless (yo learned helplessness, where are my fellow psychology people at). Drowning in a sea where he could see the shore but couldn't escape to it and, instead, only dream for a real home (cuz you're my home home home).

          He looked at his mom with pleading eyes, but she was already gone. Walking out the door with her back turned and her luggage behind her attempting to catch up with her fast pace (which is a great song for your information. Okay I will stop with the song references, this is supposed to be serious. Sorry). Seungcheol never saw the coward again. 

          It hurt, like stepping on broken glass, that his mother didn't even look back, and his chest ached in pain before it was soon replaced by a growing fire.

 

          He learned to hit back.

  
  


~

 

Seungcheol swung at his opponent, barely missing him. The match had been going on for what felt like an hour, and the small crowd was starting to disperse as it was the last match for the game that night. Seungcheol was losing ground as exhaustion began to take over him. The anger fueling him was starting to run low. But his opponent, who went by China Prince, didn’t seem affected in the slightest, having high stamina.  _ Dammit, if only I had those stamina plants from Skyward Sword,  _ Seungcheol couldn’t help but joke to himself.  _ Shut up, you need to focus.  _

 

It was too late for that.

 

His brain barely had time to process as he was slammed onto the ground, knocked out cold. 

 

~

 

“No more bad man. You are safe now,” a much younger Seungcheol would whisper to himself every night as the rest of the world slept peacefully. It was words he repeated from the first time he met his foster mother. A reminder that she promised to protect him, and he was loved. 

But even she couldn’t protect him from everything because Seungcheol was afraid of the dark. The monsters that would come out and play from his closet as soon as she turned the lights off. The demons under the bed that would snatch him by the ankle and take him far away from home. 

They never did go away, even with a night light. Eventually, he was enrolled in a self-defense class because at least he would be able to protect himself if anything were to happen as he feared. It put some ease to his mind and soon enough self-defense became boxing. 

It was something no one could take away from him and even though the monsters hiding never went away, he had learned to fight them. Learned to repress them as best he could because no he didn’t want to go to a psychiatrist, fearful of more judgment and cruelty. 

You can never fix anything completely, once the mug breaks it’s never the same. Much less on your own. 

  
  


~

  
  


Seungcheol woke up in a cold sweat, mind disorientated by the white brightness surrounding him as it seeped into his crinkled eyes and a steady beeping quietly echoing. 

 

Seungcheol had always hated hospitals. 

 

“Welcome back, Mr. Choi,” the voice sounded really familiar but Seungcheol didn’t think to place it as he blinked awake, drowsy. The doctor had auburn hair and greeted Seungcheol with a kind smile. “I’m Dr. Hong.” 

“Hi, I’m Seungcheol,” he managed to croak out and the doctor let out a laugh. It was like it was made out of honey and oh god, Seungcheol was trying really hard not to melt into the hospital bed. 

“I’m well aware, Mr. Choi,” Dr. Hong mused by the patient drugged with pain killers.

“Just Seungcheol is fine,” Seungcheol waved him off. “Do I have any bad injuries?”

“You took a pretty hard blow but you’ll be completely fine in a few days. Just take it easy until then.”  _ As if _ , Seungcheol huffed to himself. He wouldn’t be able to survive without going to the gym. Not with the chance of blowing up from one too many encounters with idiotic strangers. 

“Does that mean I can leave?” 

“We want to watch you tonight just in case we missed anything but other than that, you’re free to go tomorrow whenever you’d like.” 

“Does that mean I can have lime jello?” Seungcheol vibrated in excitement as he recalled the food they served from the last time he was there. 

“Of course, I’ll go get you some now if you like,” Dr. Hong paused before he left. “Is there anything you want to me to put on before I go? We got a new speaker system for each room so patients don’t get bored.” Seungcheol jaw went slightly slack as Dr. Hong explained the hospital’s upgrades. Seungcheol didn’t remember hospitals being this nice, not with the lifeless atmosphere surrounding it. 

“Actually I missed a new episode of my favorite podcast because of my game.”

“Sure, what’s it called?” Dr. Hong asked as he began to scroll through the tablet connected to the system. 

“Cheonsa.” 

“Really, you listen to that? I know someone from it.” 

“I love it! Do you know someone from the production team?” Seungcheol bounced in excitement as he learned someone else had heard of it. He immediately regretted it as his movement caused his back to jolt from the sudden use of the injured muscle.

“My boyfriend is the host actually,” Dr. Hong looked down at him with amusement written all over my face.

“Wait,” Seungcheol’s mouth visibly dropped as he finally placed the voice to its owner. “You’re Joshua?” 

“The one and only. That’s me, I’m Joshua,” Joshua fiddled with his tie.  _ He looks damn good in a tie _ , Seungcheol couldn’t help but think. “Maybe I could introduce you to him sometime.”

“I would love that,” Seoungcheol’s heart jumped at the thought of meeting the person who hosted his favorite podcast (and definitely not seeing his hot as hell, committed doctor again, he chided himself).  

“Cool, I’ll get you that jello now,” Joshua left the room, white coat following right behind him. Seungcheol let out a sigh, stuck in the vividless, white room again and only a mental image of Joshua. 

  
  


~

 

Seungcheol used to love hospitals, them having nursed him back to good health after his foster mother, no his mother, took him in under her wing. The corridors were just dull now, people solemnly walking without a cause, and it reeked of death. 

           Because now all he remembered now was so clearly of that day when his mother's chest forcibly rose as the doctor gave her two breaths. How lifeless she was as the doctor pushed down on her chest. How he expected her breastbone to break at any minute. How he waited on the edge of his seat for her to respond to the harsh compressions and the shock from the tiny contraption. How she never did.

~

 

If you ever happen to have a stoner as a roommate, warning: you’re going to be forced to go to whatever hippy coffee shop has popped up near campus. Seungcheol was no exception. 

Seungcheol’s eye twitched as Hansol just shrugged half-apologetically. “What do you mean you forgot your wallet?” Seungcheol hissed at the younger. 

“Please just pay this once,” Hansol pouted at him like a kicked puppy, making Seungcheol almost forget this was the third time he had forgotten his wallet. Almost. “We’re holding up the line.” 

“Well that wouldn’t be an issue if you had brought your wallet in the first place, now would it?” Seungcheol slammed his credit card onto the counter, making the barista jump. 

“I’ll pay you back. I promise.” 

“Lies.”

“Okay, I won’t. But it’s the thought that thoughts,” Hansol winced as Seungcheol teeth made an unpleasant noise as they grinded against each other.

“Fine, but don’t think I’ll let it slide next time.” He would.

They turned to go wait for their order but bumped into the couple behind them that was entranced in their own conversation. One had the most luxurious hair Seungcheol had laid eyes on and he could appreciate their sharp cheekbones that seemed to catch the light and the other-

“Dr. Hong?” 

           “Mmmhh?” Dr. Hong's eyes lit up in recognition. “Hi, Seungcheol! How's your injury doing.”

            “There's only a bruise otherwise I wouldn't even know.”

            “Good just make sure not to overstrain it while it heals…where are manners, this is my boyfriend, Jeonghan and just call me Joshua.”

            Seungcheol glanced over at the man next to Joshua and immediately looked down, intimidated by the look in his eyes.

“Holy shit, Joshua, you should have told me your patient, that listens to the podcast, looked this good. We are totally open to a poly relationship if you're into that by the way.” Jeonghan turned to look at him and blurted out, causing Seungcheol's cheeks to dust themselves with a deep red.  _ (Fuck, why is everyone I’m meeting so damn pretty _ , Seungcheol cursed to himself.  _ Pretty patties _ , Hansol voice chimed into his head and Seungcheol batted it away, irritated he knew exactly what that idiot would say.  _ I really need to stop hanging out with him.) _

“Jeonghan, we talked about this. No swearing,” Joshua chastised him but didn't make any intention to argue against his suggestion. Seungcheol's heart fluttered at the thought with a new desire.

“You call these swear words, I call them sentence enhancers.”

“Sentence enhancers,” the younger deadpanned as he stared at Jeonghan with unamusement written all over his face. 

“Joshua, what are your other two wishes now that he’s here,” Jeonghan was quick to change the subject to avoid a lecture.

“I’m sorry,” Joshua profusely apologized to Seungcheol for Jeonghan (Not that Seungcheol had minded). “For the first few weeks I knew him, he wouldn’t stop asking, ‘from one to America, how free are you tonight?’ Honestly, sometimes I-” 

“Speaking of tonight, Kappu Tau is holding a party tonight. You’re welcome to come. You’d definitely make it ten times better,” Jeonghan winked at him, whisking Joshua away by the arm before he could do anything.  _ Are they not going to order??? _

“We’re going. We have to go. Wang always rolls the best joints.” Wang meaning the event planner of Kappa Tau. In other words, errand runner to Party City as well as alcohol and drug dealer.

            “I am not going to the party, Hansol. Can't we just have a Disney marathon instead? Only us, ourselves, and the couch.”

            “Why we do that?”

            “Because you would anything for your hyung, and you know he would rather punch you to planet Pluto than go.”  _ That's right. I said what I said NASA. Square the fuck up. _

            “First of all, Pluto's not a planet. Secondly, I wouldn't even get off the couch if you asked me to hand you the remote,” Hansol, determined by weed, said in finalization. Seungcheol groaned, knowing Hansol would fuck up his movie organization again if he didn’t. (Who the fuck just leaves the discs lying all over, out of their cases. That’s right, Hansol does. Fucking bastard.)

 

~

 

           Seungcheol, in disdain, rolled the neck of the bottle in his mouth as he scowled in what he thought was Hansol's general direction. He couldn't be sure as the younger had bolted to find Wang before Seungcheol could even get past the doorway. He opted to hide in the kitchen near the alcohol and far from people. Truly an approach-approach conflict now.

           He bitterly furrowed his eyebrows as he reached into the cooler for another glass of vodka.  _ I need to learn how to say no. I will next say no to the next person who asks me something. _

 

           Newsflash: he didn't.

 

           “So you did come,” Jeonghan let out a surprised observation as he popped into the kitchen and wiggled a can out of the cooler. “Why are you hiding in the kitchen?” He plopped down onto a stool and pressed the can open, it let out a slow fizz.

            “I don't know anyone,” Seungcheol just shrugged before taking another long sip of the beer.

            “Bullshit, you know Joshua and I. I'd love to keep you company,” Jeonghan smiled brightly over to him.

             “I assumed you guys would be busy with your friends. I didn't want to intrude.”

             “Not at all-” Jeonghan set his beer onto the counter suddenly. “Actually, Joshua and I were planning to go to the new restaurant down the block. You should join us.”

             “I can't, I need to make sure Hansol gets home, and I really don't want to intrude on your guys' date. That would be-”

             “Not now, hon,” Jeonghan rolled his eyes with a slight smile. “We're going tomorrow and we've already told you we're open to a poly relationship.”

 

_ Oh. _

 

_            OH! _

 

__ “Yeah, so here's my number,” Jeonghan said, amused by Seungcheol's facial expression. “See you tomorrow.” And he walked out of the room, leaving Seungcheol to tend to his racing heart with more alcohol.

Later, Seungcheol would vaguely be able to recall Joshua climbing into a washing machine as he slurred his words, “I am disgusted. I am revolted. I dedicated my entire life to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and THIS is the thanks I get!?!?”

 

After that, the night became one vodka-induced blur.

 

~

 

            Seungcheol woke up to the sun cooking his eyes inside their socket. Holding his hand up as shade, he winced as he felt his back tense from sleeping on the couch and the pounding in his head.

 

           He felt like complete shit. 

 

           He sluggishly stumbled to the bathroom, tripped over the blanket that somehow was on him, and trashed the bathroom cabinet to find the ibuprofen. He squeezed his eyes shut as he swallowed it dry, just wanting the pounding to reside.

Seungcheol walked into his room, after the painkillers kicked in, to find Hansol crouching next to the bed, holding a coat hanger like it was a machete. As he entered the stoner spun around to face him, his eyes all wild and his hair, too long, sticking out in all directions from where he'd slept. Seungcheol guessed he looked sort of, well, petrified which was  _ fair enough, why is he in my room? _

It took Seungcheol a few seconds to decide what to say. "Were you planning to decapitate me with a coat hanger?"  
He blinked once, and then lowered his weapon and stood up straight, his terror subsiding a little. Seungcheol gave him a once-over-of course, he was still in the same outfit as last night.

“I thought this was my room. Must have been the edibles from yesterday,” Hansol scratched at his head, hair flying all over before he rolled over to the side of Seungcheol's bed.

“Of course it was,” Seungcheol scowled, narrowing his eyes as Hansol dug through his snack drawer in his bedside table.

“Would it kill you to smile?” Hansol tugged a beanie down onto his hair that was matted down (in what, Seungcheol chose to blissfully ignore.)

“Maybe,” Seungcheol gritted his teeth.

“That's a shame.”

“Shut the fuck up, serotonin boy,” Seungcheol retreated back down the hallway and back toward the living room with his middle fingers up. Hansol just stuck out his tongue with, much to Seungcheol's distaste, a piece of a half-eaten granola bar on laying on it.

          He found his phone hiding under the coffee table. Going to sit back up, he slammed his head into the table and let out a string of curses. Clutching his head, he turned on his phone. (A miracle really as it hadn't been charged in almost 24 hours.)

 

**Me:** hey this is seungcheol  **(read: 12:47am)**

 

**Jeonghan:** hey :D

**Jeonghan:** meet us at Diamond Edge at 6

**Jeonghan:** [location attached]

 

            The smile that threatened to appear on his face immediately vanished as Hansol's voice rings through the dorm. “SOMEBODY SPILLED SOMETHING STICKY IN MY ROOM! I THINK IT'S THAT RAGU SAUCE!”

 

It was, in fact, not that ragu sauce. Seungcheol plotted his own murder after cleaning the  _ suspicious  _ goop up. 

  
  


His day got significantly better, after hours of cleaning, as he stood outside on the busy sidewalk in front of the restaurant packed with people. He glanced down at his watch for the fifth time that minute. 6:01. They were late by a minute. Seungcheol anxiously twisted his button up (Yes, you read that correctly. This was one of the few occurrences Seungcheol would exchange his nice, comfortable, functional, and overall better athletic wear from something not well designed. Honestly, who gives a damn.) as he awkwardly stood alone, hoping to some entity that he was not stood up. He could feel his pulse rise as the people walking past him stared at him with a curious glance in their eyes. It was apart of human nature to do so but Seungcheol was sick of it. He had enough of someone barging down the door of his life for one lifetime. 

There was a break through the crowd and rude mutters as two people, in particular, pushed their way through. Seungcheol glanced down at his watch once again. 6:04. Four minutes late. Seungcheol mouth had an all too familiar sour taste form. He was never fond of that number. 

“Hi, sorry we’re late,” Jeonghan started but couldn’t get out the whole sentence as he was out of breath. He was really starting to regret how that one day of skipping his workout for a nap turned into thirty. 

“His neighbor thought he stole his cat and wouldn’t let him leave until he got it back,” Joshua finished explaining for Jeonghan, less out of breath. 

“He did what now?” Seungcheol’s eyebrows shot up and he sent Jeonghan a look of disbelief. 

“Hey, I was falsely accused!” Jeonghan protested as he regained his breath. “I don’t know how Woozi got onto my fire escape but I had no hand in it.”

“So it was Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlestick then?” Seungcheol smirked at the blonde’s indignancy. 

“Oh my god, you play Cluedo?” Joshua’s eyes sparkled in pure giddiness.  _ I guess he likes Clue.  _

“Cluedo? It’s Clue. I thought you were American?” 

“Yeah and  Miss Scarlett has one T,” Joshua playfully bickered back as they shuffled their way into the restaurant as they already had reservations, Jeonghan shuffling right beyond them. 

“But it does only have one T,” Seungcheol looked at him with dead seriousness. 

“Jiminy fucking cricket, I can’t talk to you ever again,” Joshua looked at him with feigned pain as their waiter seated them and took their drink orders. 

“Joshua, what happened to no curse words and what the fuck is a Cluedo?” Jeonghan bumped his way back into the conversation. The other two stared at him before they went back to bickering over trivial things. Jeonghan whacked them both with his menu. “We’re not talking about something I can’t understand.” 

“Maybe if you listened for once instead of talking all the time, you wouldn’t be having an issue,” Seungcheol jokingly stuck out his tongue as Joshua passive-aggressively told the other. Seungcheol proceeded to get whacked by two menus at the same time. 

“So Seungcheol,” Jeonghan broke switched the direction of the conversation. “You go to Pledis too, right. What’s your major?” 

“Um, I’m a math major,” Seungcheol sheepishly replied, causing Jeonghan to drop his buttered roll and Joshua’s jaw to go slack. 

“You said what now?” Joshua was the first to regain his composure. “You mean the stuff with the complicated triangles and letters?” 

“Why are there letters in math? It’s math,” Jeonghan trailed off but stopped when he saw the both of them give him a glance. 

“Yeah, I like how math is set formulas and rules. You can never go wrong.” 

“Tell that to my high school GPA,” Jeonghan mumbled so the two wouldn’t hear. They didn’t have a chance due to a man two tables down stumbling out of his chair, time slowing as he fell hard to the ground. Joshua rushed over, his resident instincts kicking in.

“Sir, are you okay?” Joshua tapped onto the man’s shoulder but he was unresponsive. “Jeonghan, call 9-1-1. Seungcheol, go find the AED. Seungcheol!” But Seungcheol too was unresponsive to Joshua’s shouts as he froze at the site of the all too familiar scene. Joshua told the waiter to get it as soon as he noticed Seungcheol’s daze but only gave him a flash of concern before checking the man’s breathing. 

“I’m sorry,” was all Seungcheol choked out, following the man being put on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital before he was beckoned into two comforting pairs of arms. 

Later on at his dorm, Vernon nowhere to be found as expected, Joshua would lightly comb his hand through Seungcheol's hair as a sign of comfort. Jeonghan would lay down on his shoulder whilst he side hugged him.

  
  


~

 

Seungcheol glanced over at the clock plastered onto the front of the school. 3:34. His mother was late yet again. And what for? Seungcheol stopped caring years ago, not long after his mother did the same. It was beyond him why she was still around. His life was no better. 

Seungcheol clenched and unclenched his fists several times before he let his disappointment overcome him. He slid down the wall and shrugged his bag off his shoulders. 

He couldn’t help his false hope. 

  
  
  


~

 

If you were to ask Seungcheol, as he stood in front of a building and stared inside, how he got to this point in his life, he wouldn't know either.  _ What the fuck am I doing?  _ Nevertheless, he pulled the door open, walking in for his appointment with Dr. Mingyu. As the cool blasted on him, his aggravation didn't waver. Rubbing his irritated eyes, he questioned leaving but his thought was soon crushed.

“Hello, do you have an appointment?” the receptionist, whose name tag read Nurse Boo, politely (too politely in Seungcheol's opinion) asked. 

“Yes.”

“Name and birthdate please.”

“Choi Seungcheol. August 8, 1995,” Seungcheol awkwardly rapped his fingers on the counter as he waited for Nurse Boo to sign him in.

“Okay, he'll be with you shortly,” Nurse Boo informed Seungcheol as he typed in the information. 

Seungcheol nodded in acknowledgment as he sat down on the couch in the corner.  _ I can't believe you're actually here, Choi. A professional cuddler? Is that even an actual occupation? Surely, he has to be good if Jeonghan recommended him.  _ Seungcheol’s side note to himself: take Jeonghan’s words with a grain of salt. He may look angelic, but he was anything but. 

It had originally been Joshua’s idea after pestering Seungcheol for weeks that followed the incident. He had finally cracked and boy did everything he had been piling up for decades come rushing out. And he couldn’t lie, his shoulders instantly felt lighter. 

But goddammit, Yoon Jeonghan. A fucking satanist. 

“Seungcheol?” A puppy-like person peeked their head out of a door. Seungcheol stood up and walked over. “Good morning!” 

“Hi.” 

“How are you today?” Mingyu beamed at the other as he rolled out the mat they would be laying on. He plopped down on it and patted the spot next to him for Seungcheol to sit.

“Good,” Seungcheol compiled at sat as close to the edge of the mat as possible. 

‘You don’t talk much do you. That’s okay, we’re here to cuddle!” Mingyu forced Seungcheol into a bear hug, stopping Seungcheol from being able to squirm his way out. Mingyu threaded his long, nimble fingers through Seungcheol’s hair causing him to untense. 

Maybe it wasn’t as bad as he made it out to be. Judged before he tried it, not that unlike the people did that he had grown to resent.

“Sorry!” Mingyu squeaked out, trying to get his finger unstuck from a wad of Seungcheol’s hair, only making the tangle worse. Maybe Seungcheol stood corrected. Unconditional positive regard his ass. 

 

~

  
  
  


“Opponents beware, we have waffles,” Jeonghan gleefully shoved the stack into his mouth as Joshua looked at him in disgust. They had arrived at the gym just in time to catch Seungcheol before his match.

“Good luck, Cheol. We believe in you!” Joshua gave him a quick hug of luck, ignoring Jeonghan repeatedly tapping his shoulder. “We’re still on for lunch right?” 

“Of course,” Seungcheol gave him a nervous smile before popping in his mouth guard, effectively ending the conversation. 

“Be careful!’ Joshua managed to shout at him as Jeonghan whisked him off (this seems to be a reoccurring theme) to find a seat. 

“In one corner, sparky sparky boom man!” The man in the middle of the ring spoke into the mic as soon as Seungcheol had ducked under the ropes

“I told you, it's coups of stone,” Seungcheol groaned, gritting his teeth in irritation as best he could with the guard, but was simply ignored as the commentator announced his opponent, Kermit the Frog (who in their right mind?).

The fight ended with Seungcheol seething on the ground, his anger radiating off of him when his opponent had simply said in a calm composure, as if he was having tea with the Queen of England, “That's rough buddy.”

He slammed his fist onto the hard floor, effectively getting Joshua to tsk in disdain and Jeonghan naively kissing it to make it feel better. 

  
  


~

  
  


“Guys,” Seungcheol broke the silence as the three of them somehow cuddled onto the small couch, simply enjoying the rising sun. How it cascaded onto the three shapes that became mushed into one. “What are we?” 

“Didn’t we already tell you we were open to poly?” Jeonghan raised his eyebrow at him as it was already a well-known fact. Seungcheol blushed and said nothing as he tried to bury himself deeper into the couch crease. 

“Bueller?” Joshua's voice was laced with slight concern, snapping Seungcheol back to reality.

“Really?” Seungcheol asked breathlessly.

“What do you think?” Joshua lightly caressed his cheek as Jeonghan nuzzled his head back into Joshua’s side, his body already spread all over Seungcheol. 

 

And at that moment, nothing else in the world mattered anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> This was damn terrible, and I'm sorry you decided to read it.  
> thanks anyway carat <3 The important parts aren't exactly consist but I giveth up


End file.
